Review: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu

[MusicKrazy2011]

is it me or is GM recycling those wheels from the G6

[billp1980]

It has such potential, but the rear is just so God-awful ugly...

[Ansett76]

bland on a stick....

[norjop]

I have a problem with my 2008 Malibu LS. The rear fender on the driver side is loose and is not flush with the upper edge. It keeps popping out after driving on rough roads or potholes. I keep pushing it back flush with the upper edge at the end of the day. It's very annoying. Any advice?

[fixinggrace]

$27,000 is not frugal!

[cmd21700]

@fixinggrace Still way cheaper than a fully loaded Camry

[fixinggrace]

@ cmd You have a point there

[zetina2010]

American Cars have a BAD turning radius. "Malibu" BLAH! I'd rather go with the Camry or Altima!

[bg1379]

Take a look at my 2006 Nissan Maxima and tell me again if only American cars have bad turning radii. That generalization is a very far stretch.

[Ghostt5786]

@bg1379

i agree, i have a 300c and a maxima

and the turning radius is ridiculous on the maxima !!!!

always gets me stuck !

[mustang633NY]

@bg1379 the only americn car i had that had a wide turning radius was a 1994 oldmobile ciera. I actually had to back up once or twice some times to pull into parking spots that i currently just drive into

[disbsam333]

Turning radius is fine in my American car, no problems on U-turns for me. And the Malibu is fine as well.

[RYwiccan]

If you'd rather go with the carmy or Altima, then why are you watching about the malibu? You dont even own a malibu so you don't even know.

[ILGRANDELUDO]

BLEAH..

[ne3Dape3]

Looks like "Opel Insignia"

[carocarotho]

well, it is general motors!---- reminds me of a saturn!

[ThousanWhite]

Ugh... 1:30 the car is great, but the turning circle is too wide.

[crammage]

subaru is better

[GigaSpinoTrex]

I wish they offered a V8 like they did in the 70s and 80s.

[happyboyy8k]

THE FRONT IS OKAY BUT THE BACK IS UGLY

[allstarhs]

why dont they get with the times and drop the 6 spd in the base model also...why spend more in manufacturing 2 different 4 cylinder engines?

[Juands10]

that is one sexy car. i noticed it yesterday.

[RickStylus]

Nope, just it's a copycat made from a previous Acura TL, VW Passat (sides) and Mitsubishi Diamante (rear and tail lights).

Not original at all.

Respecting quality..., who knows. Lets see after couple years what happen with.

[Juands10]

who cares it..its still sexy. they just copied from the best.

[RYwiccan]

This is a nice car.

[voram2568]

USA govenment brand Bad spec

WHO CARE.

[parangatirimicuarom]

The chevrolet Malibu is a thin car a car indeed, Not as this Japanese garbage of Mazda, and these Chinese brands(marks) of terrible quality ........

[lilgman191]

It all of those immigrants coming to the US buy up other countries cars.

[RickStylus]

Most people everywhere (american included) buy japanese and german cars because quality is outstanding unlike US made ones... just shinny crap.

[Jumpieboi]

well, you gotta give it to them, they wanna keep there job so that they can afford for there 304.2 kids.

[jon74656]

Nice car, but still not as good as my Ford Mondeo 2.5 turbo

[Flabernat]

Think twice Japan, you're not #1 anymore, not even close.

[emforty2]

GM is almost always NOT in consumers reports recommended vehicle

they can't even compete with Kia's quality

[sizzerbbaby]

GM will never be the best

[mdb25]

But then again, there's driving excitement too. Car and Driver says that the Malibu is more fun than the camry and quieter than the accord. Guess you import boys are gonna have to accept that the Americans are making good cars and that GM simply wants to be the best..... again.

[coolerdude44]

yeah, the accord and camry suck to drive. but that's not the top priority in this type of car for families. what is, is value for money. with that shitty interior that probably only cost gm about $200 to make, i think the car is way overpriced.

if you want fun to drive, luxuriousness, and value, the mazda 6 is the only option that works.

i have an 04 v6 model, and it's perfect. it's the same v6 from the jaguar x-type, and ford mondeo st220.

the malibu is terrible.

[mdb25]

Shitty interior??? WTF are you reading. I love idiots like you that just make sweeping generalizations based on old data. Learn to read and get up to date. It's not the 90s anymore, YOU IGNORAMUS. Every single reputable published automotive resource has praised the new interior on the malibu. Learn to read. idiot!!!!

[coolerdude44]

uh.. dude you're getting way too worked up over a chevy malibu. the interior is shit. ever sat in one? the plastics used on the dashboard feel like they're made out of tin-foil. the steering wheel looks and feels cheap, and the backs of the front seats are rock-hard plastics, so if you're tall (like me) you can't really sit back there at all.

the car is shit, and if a moron like you who tells people to "eat a dick" over a family sedan, wants to buy one, then go ahead.

[mdb25]

Worked up? Hey man, dont dish it out if you cant take it. It was you who started the mudslinging. If you're gonna be a big mouth, dont cry like a bitch when someone gives it back to you. Yes, i've sat in a malibu. I like the interior. It's not a luxury car, so its going to have plastic pieces just like the camry and accord do.

[coolerdude44]

the camry is a piece of shit too. the accord is very nice, however. personally, if i were going to buy a car like this, i'd go for the vw pasatt, or the mazda 6. i have a 2004 mazda 6, and my parents own a 2006 altima and a 98 camry. the mazda is by far and away the best to drive out of all these cars.

i love my mazda so much, the 6 was such an underrated car. i don't like the new one, though. 270 bhp to the front wheels is just too much power. mine only had 220, which is perfect.

[mdb25]

cooler. you strike me as the typical 23 year old twat that THINKS he knows everything there is to know about automotive engineering, handling and mechanics simply bc he reads MT or CD. Is this accurate. Please tell me. lmfao

[coolerdude44]

but, still. the interior on the malibu is way behind even korean standards, let alone japanese and european.

[mdb25]

Im really not sure where you're coming from on that. Way behind even Korean standards? That doesnt really even make sense to me. Go to the chevrolet website and look at the interior of the LTZ malibu with the two tone leather package. It's really really quite nice, with nice materials and good attention to detail. Im serious when I say that evas every published auto resource has praised the interior. Are we even on the same page? I'm referring to the 08 and up malibu (newest design)

[coolerdude44]

i know, so am i. i looks all right with the color scheme, but the materials used are the cheapest out of any other car (aside from chryslers and dodges).

and like i said, the back seat is covered with rock-hard plastics. i'm 6'5'', and it hurt my knees to even sit there. it's just not up to the rest of the world's standards. it has a good chassis, but that's about it.

i really can't see any reason to buy it over any other car. it's just an opel vectra, euro reviewers call it shit.

[mdb25]

Well you also have to take a look at the europeans reviewing the car. Are we talking those people that drive BMWs and Mercs, bc many of those folks are PAYING through the nose for their cars. Sure the materials are going to be better, but you're going to pay for them. To each his own though. The engines that power the malibu have landed on the wards 10 best list and the 4cyl gets better mpg than cam or acc. I think you may be short changing the car a bit.

[coolerdude44]

nah you're wrong. in europe, the vectra costs the same as the ford mondeo, which is easily considered the best midsized sedan in the world. idk why ford doesn't bring it over here. but anyway, it's much the same story here. it costs about the same price as the mazda 6 (the closest thing to the mondeo we have in this country). so why would you buy this over the 6?

the 6 drives way better than the malibu, it handles fantastically. and the interior is way nicer. same story with the mondeo.

[mdb25]

Well I disagree. I had a mazda 6 as a rental car last year. I didn't think there was anything special about it as far as looks, handling or performance went. Plus, it was quite small. So if faced with the choice, I would still pick the malibu over that car. Now granted I had the 4 banger, that 3.0 V6 they made didn't get any rave reviews. It lagged behind every other V6 in the segment in terms of power. So it was smaller, weaker and had a so-so interior. Nothing to brag agout dude.

[coolerdude44]

dude in a front wheel drive car, you don't want too much power. my car has 220 bhp, or what most experts believe that the limit for fwd is. without a trick differential, like the focus rs has, anything over 220 is ludicrous. you get too much understeer, and torque steer beyond belief.

now, i drove the mazda, the camry, the impala, and the altima, and the mazda is the best out of the 4. it's throttle is weighted, making it easier to drive, and the steering is so sharp that...

[mattmopar440]

How do u figure, the cadillac STS had a 4.6L DOHC V8 300hp FWD, was one of the fastest FWD cars GM made and one of the best handling of the time

[coolerdude44]

if you think that the sts is one of the best handling cars of all time, you're a moron. the only car with a lot of power that handles well and is front wheel drive is the focus rs. and that's because ford spent years developing a trick differential that feeds in the power nicely so understeer doesn't happen.

the sts did understeer, and the sts isn't a good car by any measure.

[mattmopar440]

Right first off the cobalt is the fastest FWD car around the nurimburg ring, Way faster then many of the RWD ones that have gone around there, Its dosent depend on FWD or RWD its called driving skill, Theres many FWD cars that are just as good as RWD cars handeling wise

[coolerdude44]

when you're driving along, it feels as though you're running your fingers over the road surface. the altima's steering feels like it's not connected to the wheels, same with the camry. and the impala was just crap... it felt soggy.

the interior on the mazda is better than those cars, but it's not my favorite in the world either.

but i love the way that through the corners, there's very little body role, and the constant torque flow of the engine, that i could care less about that.

[coolerdude44]

the malibu should handle well too, it is basically just a saab 9-3. but it's made by chevy, and the inside is just complete crap. i couldn't live with that.

btw, im surprised to hear what you say about the mazda. from what i hear about the 4 cyl, the engineers curved the power-band so that you have constant power delivery to the wheels. it shows in the v6, but i heard that because of this, the 4 cyl feels lazier and bigger than it is...

[coolerdude44]

and btw... do you know why it's fun to drive? the malibu i mean? because it's chassis and suspension come from the european opel vectra (which is hated as shit by all the europeans, but it does have a nice chassis). so therefore, the only thing good about it is imported.

looks like you insulted "the import boys" when you are one too. and you didn't even know it because you're an ignoramus.

[mdb25]

I am fully aware that it's a euro based platform, you fucking moron. Stop trying to lecture me about GM cars as I know them inside and out. The vast majority of this car is comprised of AMERICAN PARTS. It is built and designed by American people. Personally, the heart of this car for me (and every great review of it) is the engine and the interior... neither of which.... are imports. EAT a dick you dumb shit.

[mdb25]

There is absolutely no question that this car has shaken things up for the flagship JAPANESE (yes Toyota and Honda are not American designed or made) sedans. The numbers dont lie and this car has taken a huge chunk out of the sales. Undoubtedly that gets under the skin of the diehard import fans. As it should. It's not to say that the imports are bad. In fact, I think it's come down to a matter of appearance. The new accord is fugly, the camry is bland. Give me an LTZ anyday.

[estidecrissdemarde]

2.4

ECOTEC love that engine

[GeneralMotorsRules]

22/33mpg actually!

[hybridlancer2004]

"beestonbash" DONT HATE ON THE NEW MALIBU!! I BET U CANT AFFORD ONE!!! BTW U NEED TO BE SLAPPED FOR THAT DUMB @SS COMMENT!!

[ghrpdx]

One glaring flaw I see in the design of this car (as on many other cars) is the taillights that look like the two parts on each side of the trunk cut-line are from two different cars.  Witness the taillights on the Chrysler Sebring.

[bkvintagecorp]

Coandcaiv i couldn't agree with u more

[GeneralMotorsRules]

I'll take the bait, what a car!

[fox2mind]

thnx for the review ,, it's realy nice car

[2004JETTA]

bout damn time someone come out with a review